In Fiji, up to 72 per cent of women face some form of violence in their lifetime, mostly at the hands of her intimate partner.

This was revealed by the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mereseini Vuniwaqa, during the Provincial Youth Administrators workshop on gender-based violence at the Southern Cross Hotel, in Suva yesterday.

The workshop is in partnership with Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, the United Nations Development Programme, Ministry of Youth and Sports along with Ministry for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation.

Ms Vuniwaqa said gender-based violence was one of the most pervasive violations of human rights in the world, one of the least prosecuted crimes.

“We embark on the period 16 days of activism on gender based violence. Violence against women and girls knows no social, economic or national boundaries,” she said.

“Gender-based violence undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence.”

She said victims of violence could suffer sexual and reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, and even death.

“We all know that we have to do much more to respond to the cries for justice of women and children who have suffered violence,” he said.

“We have to do much more to end these horrible abuses and the impunity that allows these human rights violations to continue.”

“Empower youths so that they not only understand the role of equal treatment of women and girls in the elimination of gender based violence as an abstract concept.

“But rather that they end up living it in their everyday lives before they assume their leadership role in their communities and in national life in the next few years,” Ms Vuniwaqa said.